An attributional analysis of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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Abstract
The philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] is examined in terms of attribution theory, which concerns the ways of which persons think about cause-and-effect relationships and attribute meaning and order to their worlds. AA is said to facilitate cognitive changes that result in the adoption of a new set of attributions regarding the development of and recovery from alcoholism. Before joining AA, an alcoholic may have used numerous and variable attributions to explain his drinking behavior; when he turns to AA, he may be seeking more reliable information that can lead to abstinence. As a member of AA, he can experience consensus about the consistent and unique effects of alcohol; having shared the experience of these qualities, he can attribute the past effect of alcohol to the alcohol or to the disease of alcoholism, relieving him of personal responsibility. An alcoholic''s motivation, a greater power external to an alcoholic and AA enable an alcoholic to recover. Social isolation, negative affect, low social esteem, a need for information and other characteristics indicating that a person is a good candidate for attributional change also suggest who is likely to be successful in AA.

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